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Cleaning with Essential Oils: Six Oils to Enhance Your Routine

Essential oils can do so much more than just create a pleasant aroma around the home. Many have antimicrobial properties, making them a great alternative for cleaning your house. From the kitchen to the bathroom to the laundry, essential oils can be great additions to your homemade cleaning products.

Traditional commercial cleaners can be full of harsh chemicals that you don’t want around your food or your skin. So utilizing the cleaning power of essential oils can be a great way to create and maintain a healthy, environmentally friendly household environment.

If you are wondering what essential oils to use as effective cleansers, you’re in luck! We’ve compiled a list of some great essential oils for non-toxic cleaning.

Thyme essential oil has been shown to be highly effective against a wide range of germs at a dilution of 1%. Many natural cleaners on the market use the power of thyme to make safe cleaners for surfaces where little hands frequently touch. It has a fresh, herbal fragrance that smells great and mixes well with peppermint, spearmint, and lemon

Lemongrass oil, with a fresh, lemony, tea-like fragrance, is a wonderful addition to any DIY project for your home. The constituents in lemongrass oil give it a powerful advantage against germs. Effective at a dilution of 1%.

With a fantastically light, clean scent, Lemon Essential Oil is a wonderful addition to any DIY cleaning recipes. When you use lemon essential oil for cleaning, its refreshing scent works as a nice pick-me-up while you clean. Lemon oil is a particularly good choice for cleaning the kitchen sink where odors tend to accumulate. It’s also great to add a few drops to your laundry for an extra-fresh citrus boost.

Sweet Orange has a fantastic smell that is uplifting and bright. It contains a naturally occurring solvent called limonene that is great for cutting through grease and grime. Its antiseptic properties make it a potent cleanser for use on cutting boards, countertops, bathrooms and any surface where you want a germ-free clean. Its citrusy fragrance makes a great choice for diffusing to give the air a clean and fresh feeling.

This minty oil has powerful cleaning properties with a cooling fragrance that smells great in the bathroom or the kitchen. It is effective against a wide range of germs at a dilution of 1%, so it makes a great choice for cleaning up after meal preparation. Try combining it with thyme or rosemary in your homemade cleaning products.

Lavender is a favorite essential oil because of its versatility and relaxing aroma. Its name is actually derived from the Latin word lavare, which translates as “to wash.” It is a very nice addition to homemade laundry soap and blends well with many other popular oils. Try blending it with peppermint, tea tree, or lemon in your next DIY cleaning product mixture.

How to Use Essential Oils for Cleaning

It’s very easy to use simple household ingredients to create safe and effective DIY cleaners. For the bathroom, mix together water and baking soda with a few drops of unscented castile soap to make a paste. Then add around 20 drops of essential oils and mix. The paste is a great alternative to traditional bleach-based cleansers used on toilets and tubs.

For the kitchen, add vinegar to a spray bottle of water along with some cleansing essential oils of your choice. The amount you use depends on how much fragrance you prefer, but even a few drops can boost the cleaning power of water and vinegar. Use the spray on counters, stovetops, the sink, floors or any surface you wipe. Be sure to use gloves and shake well as the essential oils won’t be fully dispersed.

How do these ingredients work? Vinegar contains acetic acid which has the power to kill bacteria. Baking soda is alkaline and is excellent at removing stains. Castile soap produces a natural lather that is non-toxic and can be used on any surface. Not only are these ingredients safe, but they have also been used for generations — and they work! Have fun mixing in your favorite essential oils to reap their aromatherapeutic benefits while you clean. Since cleaners typically have higher dilutions of essential oils, be sure to use gloves when cleaning to avoid getting any cleaners on your skin.

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135 thoughts on “Cleaning with Essential Oils: Six Oils to Enhance Your Routine”

I have been nearly chemical free for three years, using EO’s from PT, is the best way to go. I give them a 10 plus!Thanks for sharing so many nice tips, I have most all of the oils that were shared to use for standing up to germs! Be safe and well,

Great to know and I will have to add Thyme to my cleaning list! I have a household cleaner recipe that I use and has worked really well. I use a mix of white vinegar, 100 proof, distilled water and add scotch pine, lemon, peppermint and tea tree to it. Will also try some thyme in next time I mix some up. 🙂

I can’t wait to try these!!! My dad while visiting came home with a bleach spray bc he said I didn’t have cleaning products in the house. I’m gonna have to show him my secret sprays! Going to make these ASAP and see if they are better that what I currently use.

Now I need some Thyme. And some time to clean! I want to leave work now and go home and whip up some eo cleaners and get to cleaning. For someone that is fairly new to the eo world, and someone who can’t stand the smell of vinegar, please give me a recipe for a kitchen cleaner! I love all the citrusy smells and germ fighter as well. Minty is good too.

Lemongrass has to be a must have cleaning EO. I’ve made a sanitizer spray using it with alcohol and it’s great as a cleanser and I also used it to clean any equipment I use when making creams or other skin products. It smells amazing too. Thanks for the other cleaning tips.

I love the information on each of the oils here, but I have a question: do vinegar and witch hazel act as the carriers in the liquid recipes? I feel like the essential oils wouldn’t dilute and mix in, but just sit on top… Very curious about this! Thanks in advance!

For killing germs, both peppermint and thyme need to be at a 1% dilution according to the article. So if I make a cleaner using both of these, should I dilute each oil to 1% or should my total oil dilution is 1% (ie, each would be diluted to .5%)? Will each of them do their germ fighting jobs if not at the full 1%?

I have been adding a few drops of lemon eo or lemon eucalyptus eo to my wool dryer balls. I love the scent especially when I use my towels or washcloths. I recently read on a blog that you should never use essential oils in the dryer or washer because they’re a fire hazard. Can anyone offer any advice or truth to this? TIA

Michelle, you may want to reach out to our team of aromatherapists at [email protected]. This is a topic where there are quite a few different opinions and I’m sure they’ll be able to point you in the right direction 🙂

Very helpful! I have read a lot about natural cleaning products and using oils in cleaning, but I still learned some new things. Never realized I should be wearing gloves–I will start now. And I hadn’t thought of combining thyme with peppermint; sounds interesting, and that should tone down the strong herbal scent. Thank you!

I’m excited to try these options in the future. I love how easy it will be to mix these up, and I’ll feel better about using these over cleaners with so many chemicals and ingredients that I’m unfamiliar with. Next I need to try some of the foaming soap recipes!

We use a few different oils for cleaning. Germ Destroyer- to clean door knobs etc during cold and flu season- , Tea Tree in laundry and any citrus (Lemon, Grapefruit Pink) in dish water after hand washing dishes it helps clean the sink and makes it really shine. I LOVE using oils when cleaning our home.

Hi there! Does a preservative need to be added to a multi-purpose cleaner? I plan to use distilled water, white vinegar and some EO’s?
Also, if I wanted to substitute the vinegar for something else less smelly, what should I try?

If you keep stored in the fridge and keep no longer than a week, you do not need the preservative. If you are wanting to keep longer, you need one because there is water in the mix.
Vinegar has many great cleaning properties but some have used rubbing alcohol as a sub

For the kitchen, add vinegar to a spray bottle of water along with some cleansing essential oils of your choice. The amount you use depends on how much fragrance you prefer, but even a few drops can boost the cleaning power of water and vinegar. Use the spray on counters, stovetops, the sink, floors or any surface you wipe. Be sure to use gloves and shake well as the essential oils won’t be fully dispersed.

I mix Germ Fighter and Lemon oil together along with white vinegar in a spray bottle to clean my counter tops. My counters are clean and fresh smelling. I also love that I don’t have to worry about my kids sitting down their fruit on the counter and then putting it in their mouths since I know that the counters are not only really clean, but have no residual toxic cleaners left behind on them that commercial cleaners leave behind.

I’m really grateful for this post! I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer so have dramatically changed a lot of lifestyle habits. I’ve switched to natural cleaning products, but even they are loaded with some “questionable” stuff. I will surely take your advice with the above oils. Cant get any more natural than that!
Thanks again!!!

I love using the paste recipe to clean my bathtub and sink. The baking soda helps scrub off the grime and soap scum and I use tea tree oil to deal with the mold and mildew. It’s safe enough for my kids to help and that’s always a bonus!

I love cleaning with lemongrass. It’s uplifting as well as a great cleaning oil. Orange oil is my second favorite in terms of scent but it is an equally great cleaner. I combine them with Castile soap, water and vinegar.

I have all of these oils and currently only use the vinegar + EO route for a daily shower spray. I see a number of commenters and hte blog post recommend use vinegar + castile soap + EO for regular kitchen cleaning. How does it hold up to commerical cleaners? Do you also use it when you need an antibacterial for things like raw chicken? Thanks!

Do you have any recommendations for a room deodorizer? I don’t want to use any commercial air sprays but we need help with a cat-astrophy(cas was accidentally in a closed room for two days-he’s fine but the smell is awful!) I kept a diffuser in the room overnight with tea tree and peppermint, but it needs something more.

I love using essential oils in my cleaning routine! I have a vinegar and alcohol based floor cleared that I add Lemon and Germ Fighter too. I also have an multi purpose spray with Lemon and Peppermint. It is one of my favorite ways to incorporate EO’s into my home!

I’ve made the cleaning spray with rubbing alcohol and it worked fine for me but the alcohol smell is kind of strong and my husband hates the smell of rubbing alcohol and vinegar so I use vodka instead.

I love to add a little of the miracle ll soap to my cleaning spray bottles….plus orange and a little clove and water!!!! I also use this on a small towel when my dogs come in from outside! Takes away that doggie outdoor smell!!!

I use the Germ Fighter synergy with witchhazel for a good disinfectant spray for my pet cages and living spaces. It smells great and works wonderful, yet it is gentle enough to not bother my hamster. I love it.

For the bathroom, mix together water and baking soda with a few drops of unscented castile soap to make a paste. Then add around 20 drops of essential oils and mix. The paste is a great alternative to traditional bleach-based cleansers used on toilets and tubs.

Not sure if this has been answered but if the paste is runny enough, you could use a condiment bottle (like for mustard?) or any squeeze type bottle. Or if making small batches, just dribble it from the bowl or jar you mixed it in…

Thanks for the tips! I already use vinegar and water to clean everything, so I’ll definitely add some essential oil to the mix for that wonderful fresh smell. I especially like that I can use orange oil in the kitchen. What a great idea.

How about a cutting board cleaner recipe? Would I use one of the above? Also, what carrier oil is best used in place of board oil ie food grade mineral oil or do you still think I should continue to use it occasionally?
Thanks

Tammie, you could try that Sweet Orange at a 5% dilution with water/vinegar solution. I am not sure about what carrier oil would be used to replace a board oil but would love to hear if you find a great sub for it

We use “spoon butter” on our boards. Basically beeswax and sunflower oil (1:4 ratio) melted together and poured into a jam jar. It protects the wood and smells delicious! I add Lemon EO to mine and it’s so yummy! Good for wooden utensils and handles too!!

I would not recommend using non Kidsafe oils with your children in the home. If they are at school perhaps and you clean in the morning that would be fine. Typically you will dilute to 5% or less with cleaning

4 cups filtered water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 10 drops lemon essential oil.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (not plastic). Submerge produce in the bowl. Stir the produce around with your hand to make sure all of it comes in contact with the lemon essential oil. Let the produce sit for 30-60 seconds. Rinse with filtered water in a strainer.

Don’t forget Tea Tree Oil. Best to get rid of weird smells in the toilet. Also when you’re done cleaning, apply a drop of Tea Tree Oil on your palm and then add soap to wash your hands. No more yucky smell stuck on the hands.

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